Devices for supporting conveyor bands



|July19, 1966 A. K. MCCQMBIE EAL 3,261,450 g DEVICES FOR SUPPORTINGCONVEYOR BANDS Filed Oct. 29, 1963 United States Patent O 3,261 450DEVICES FOR SUPPORTING CONVEYOR BANDS Alan Keith McComhie and FrankHeybourn, London,

England, assignors to The Molins Organisation Limited Filed Oct. 29,1963, Ser. No. 319,834

Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 23, 1963,

This invention concerns improvements in devices for supporting conveyorbands, that is, bands or belts carrying a load which causes the band todeflect. The invention is primarily intended for use with an endlessband conveyor described and shown in A. K. McCombies United Statesapplication Serial No. 319,846, of even date.

In said application there is an endless band conveyor whose operativelength is extended, or shortened, according to the quantity ofcigarettes included in a reservoir in which said band is located tosupport some of the cigarettes. The operative length needs to besupported to take the weight of the cigarettes and, because this lengthchanges, there are provided movable supports which are spring loaded tourge them beneath the edges of the operative length of the conveyorwhere support is necessary. The band is supported within the reservoiron a roller and this roller is attached to a slide which moves to alterthe operative length of the band and slides in slots in the sides of thereservoir. The end of this slide remote from said roller is shaped toengage the supports and push them aside as the operative length of theband extends, where- -after they spring inwards under spring pressure asthe slide clears them and provide side supports for the band. The otherend of the slide is similarly shaped and so, as the operative length ofthe band is shortened, the supports are pushed outwards against thespring tension and snap inwards again after lthe slide has passed. Thepresent invention provides a better method of operating the supports, asthey are positively moved inwards and outwards and the springs areeliminated.

According to the invention there is provided a device for supporting aconveyor band, in the manner outlined above, comprising a fixed rail ateach side of the band and supports mounted on each rail and slidablethereon toward and away from the band, a slide carrying a roller aroundwhich the band turns lat the end of its operative length, and a guiderail at each side of the slide, said supports being shaped to embracethe guide rail which is bent at one end to constitute a cam adapted tomove a support transversely of the xed rail as the slide moves.

The support may have a part shaped as a hook and adapted to slide overthe xed rail on which it is held in place by friction, the grip of thehook-shaped part being suflicient to prevent accidental displacement ofthe support but offering little resistance to movement of the support bythe guide rail. Alternatively the fixed rail may have two parallelgrooves along it and the hook-shaped part of the support then has aprotuberance adapted to snap into either groove `and hold the support inthe desired position.

The invention will be further described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary side elevation of part of the apparatusdescribed and shown in the United States application referred to above,showing the present invention applied thereto,

FIGURE 2 is a section of FIGURE 1 on the line 2 2,

FIGURE 3 is a plan of part of FIGURE 1, some parts being in section.

The drawings show the invention as applied to the apparatus describedand shown in the United States applica- 3,261,450 Patented July 19, 1966tion above-mentioned to which reference should be made for furtherdetails. Parts identical with parts in the aforesaid specification, orequivalent in function to such parts have their references increased by100.

Referring to the drawings, an endless band conveyor 144 turns round on aroller 145 which moves to and fro as described in the applicationreferred to. The roller spindle is supported in a slide 146, to which isxed a curved back pl-ate 147, and is pulled to the left in FIGURE l by aflexible cord 149 which may be pulled by a weight (not shown) as in theaforesaid application.

The band 144 is driven in the direction of the arrow A, FIGURE 1, by apulley, as in the said application and if this pulley stops, becausecigarettes are not to pass out of the reservoir, another pulley pays outmore of the length of the band and the cord 149 pulls the back plate andslide to the left to increase the capacity of the reservoir.

The sides of the band are supported as in the application referred to bymovable supports but these are constructed differently in the presentvcase and bear the reference 162, and it is to these supports and theiroperation that the present invention is directed.

At each side of the magazine is a fixed rail of rightangled section andit has two grooves 171 lengthwise of the horizontal web. The supports162 each have a hookshaped part 172 which embraces the horizontal weband can slide on the said web from an inner, or band supporting,position to an outer position, clear of the edges of the band, so thatthe slide 146 can pass them as the slide moves to and fro, the supportsbeing moved for this purpose as described later. The inner side of thefree end of the hook has a small protuberance 173 which catches in thegrooves in the web and locates the support in either position after ithas been moved. The supports are made of an elastic material, such asmoulded plastic, so the free end of the hook can spring slightly topermit the protuberance to snap into land out of a groove.

The hook-shaped part of the sup-port merges into an upstanding web 172at right angles to the plane of the inner faces of the hook and this webhas two parallel extensions 17S at right angles thereto, the uppersurface of the upper extension constituting the band supporting surface.As shown, the lower surface of the lower extension 175 also engages thelower run of the band and supports it against upward movement but thisis for a purpose not connected with the present invention. From the endsof these extensions 175 short extensions 176 extend at right anglesthereto and directed towards one another so that the upstanding web 174and the several extensions define a loop of substantially rectangularshape with part of oneside open. This open part is the distance betweenthe opposed edges of the short extensions and the distance between themis equal to the thickness of the slide.

The supports are moved in and out by cam rails 178, integral with theslide 146, and having their ends 179 which are near to the roller 145,bent inwards towards one another to provide cams. At these rail ends 179move entirely clear of supports at times, the inner faces of the web 174and the short extensions 176 are shaped to give a horizontalcross-section of double Wedge shape with an -apex at the mid-length ofthe web or extension. The shape can be seen best in FIGURE 3 where therespective apices on the web 174 and an extension 176 are marked 177.

This provides an easy entry and exit for the cam rail ends 179 as theslide moves in either direction and the distance between the apices,that is the crests of the slopes of the double wedge shape is a fairlyclose lit on the cam rails.

The remainder of a cam rail, to its other end, is straig-ht because,once the supports have Ibeen moved to the outer position they are heldby the protuberances 173 and the outer grooves 171 and the straight partof a rail can move freely through the supports. Similarly, as a rail endi179 moves a support to the inner, or band supporting position, and thenmoves clear of said support, the support is held in the inner positionby the protuberance 173 and the inner -groove 171.

The supports 162 also provide a guide for the slide to move in, as thecam rails are part of t-he slide and the rectangular loop fits over acam rail with .the shor-t extensions engaging the inner sides of the camrail land their ends engaging the top and bottom surfaces of the slide.

In an alternative construction the supports can grip the horizon-tal webof the fixed rail merely by friction between the hook-shaped part of asupport and the rail but the grooved rail and the protuberance on thesupport gives a more reliable performance.

The back plate has a side wall 1-80 which is screwed to the back plateand can abe adjusted across the width thereof, to cater for cigarettesof different lengths.

What We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. 4In apparatus comprising a conveyor band for cigarettes and whoseoperative length is increased or decreased according to the quantity ofcigarettes contained in a reservoir, in which said band is located tosupport said quantity, and having a slide carrying a roller around whichthe band turns to pr-ovide an upper cigarette supporting run and a lowerreturn run, the slide being movable lto and fro to alter the operativelength .of the band, means for supporting the supponting run of theband, against the Weight of the cigarettes, consisting of slidablesupports and a xed rail on each side of the band, on which the supportscan slide toward and away from the conveyor, and means for moving thesupports inwards into a position where they move beneath the edges ofthe band to support nl. it, and outwards from said position and clear ofthe band, as the slide moves to and fro to alter the operative length ofthe band.

2. Band supporting means as claimed in claim 1, in which the supportshave hook-shaped parts engaging the fixed rails and slidable thereon,and means for retaining the supports in the position into which they aremoved on the rails by the said means for moving the supports.

3. Band supporting means as claimed in claim 2, comprising aprotuberance on each hook-shaped part and means for retaining thesupports in position, after movement, consisting of grooves in the xedrails into which a -protuberance can enter.

4. Band supporting means as claimed in claim 1, in which the means formoving the supports consists of a cam rail at each side of the conveyorand movable with the slide, and the supports each comprise a loopsurrounding the cam rail, the cam rails having their ends near to theroller bent to provide cams which engage inter-ior surfaces of the loopsand push the supports inwards and outwards as the slide moves to andfro.

5. Band supporting means a claimed inclaim 4, in which the loops of thesupports each have part of one side open, and the ends of a loop deningsaid open part engage the top and bottom surfaces of the slide andprovide a guide for the slide to move in.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4EVON C. BLUNK,Primary Examiner.

R. E. KRISHfER, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONVEYOR BAND FOR CIGARETTES AND WHOSEOPERATIVE LENGTH IS INCREASED OR DECREASED ACCORDING TO THE QUANTITY OFCIGARETTES CONTAINED IN A RESERVOIR, IN WHICH SAID BAND IS LOCATED TOSUPPORT SAID QUANTITY, AND HAVING A SLIDE CARRYING A ROLLER AROUND WHICHTHE BAND TURNS TO PROVIDE AN UPPER CIGARETTE SUPPORTING RUN AND A LOWERRETURN RUN, THE SLIDE BEING MOVABLE TO AND FRO TO ALTER THE OPERATIVELENGTH OF THE BAND, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE SUPPORTING RUN OF THE BAND,AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE CIGARETTES, CONSISTING OF SLIDABLE SUPPORTSAND A FIXED RAIL ON EACH SIDE OF THE BAND, ON WHICH THE SUPPORTS CANSLIDE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE CONVEYOR, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THESUPPORTS INWARDS INTO A POSITION WHERE THEY MOVE BENEATH THE EDGES OFTHE BAND TO SUPPORT IT, AND OUTWARDS FROM SAID POSITION AND CLEAR OF THEBAND, AS THE SLIDE MOVES TO AND FRO TO ALTER THE OPERATIVE LENGTH OF THEBAND.